Wright now second best in australia for his age group

Alan Kennedy | 29th January 2009


WRIGHT STUFF: Rockhampton darts player Stuart Wright shows off the trophies he collected at the national titles in Adelaide recently.

DARTS: “It was pretty good” was the massive understatement of new local champion Stuart Wright.

The 17-year-old Rockhampton darts star was a part of the Queensland team that travelled to Adelaide recently and even by his own high standards, Wright felt he had performed well.

“I struggled a bit in the doubles,” Wright admitted.

However, in the singles, Wright was on top of his game.

“I lost one game in my pool,” he recalled.

That sort of form took Wright through to the quarter finals, where he won comfortably. He went on to the semi-final, where life was not quite so easy for him.

“I was down 3-0,” he said, describing the difficulty he had in disposing of his opponent in the seven-match battle.

However, Wright did get back to winning ways, finding victory in four games in a row, and made the final.

“I got a 180 there,” he said.

The final was an all-Queensland affair, with Wright up against fellow Central Queenslander, Biloela's Peter Moretti.

“I beat Peter 4-0,” he said.

During competition, Wright was able to claim three maximum scores (180s), one coming in the final against Moretti.

He also succeeded in maintaining an average score of 19.840 per dart, which is close to his average in club play during the past season.

Not surprisingly, Wright's performances in his first National Youth Darts Titles were recognised and he was named joint “Rookie of the Year”.

For Wright, there is another title, as he is now the second best darts player in his age-group for the whole of Australia.

The Queensland team also performed reasonably well. The team, made up of four boys and four girls, collected the most points awarded for singles and teams matches, to win the national title for the event, but in the team section was placed only fourth overall.

It is almost enough to make all those hours of training worthwhile.

Wright said his coach, who is his father Stephen, has him training on the family dart board for up to four hours a day.

However, shortly Wright will require a new coach and training partner, as mid-way through the month he joins the army.

- Alan Kennedy (story source...)